Frisch’s Outreach: Australasian Safari (4-6) Extensions

At a glance This program will allow your students to learn about the Geography and Climate of Australia and Southeast Asia.

Goal islands, learn where these This class is designed to familiarize habitats are located. students with Australia and Southeast The students will understand how Asia. The students will learn what its the program animal lives and climate is like, what types of animals survives in its habitat. live there and how they survive. The student will be able to identify what is the range of the Objectives program animal. The students will gain an understanding of the basic Theme features of maps and how to read The Australasian region has a them. unique geography that has an The students will know where impact on its wildlife. the major geographic features of Australia and Southeast Asia are Sub-themes located. What types of habitats are found The students will be able to in Australasia. identify what types of habitats What adaptations do animals are found on the Australian and have to survive in their habitats. Southeast Asian continents and

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Academic standards

Science Standards Ohio Science Academic Grade 7 Earth and Space Sciences Content Standards Benchmark C-8, Grade 10 Life Sciences Benchmark E-14, Benchmark F-14,16,17, Benchmark G-18,19, Grade 11 Earth and Space Sciences Benchmark B-4, Benchmark C-12, Life Sciences Benchmark E-6,8, Grade 12 Earth and Space Sciences Benchmark B-5, Life Sciences Benchmark C-12 Benchmark E-7,8, Kentucky Core Content— Grades 5-7 Science Structure & Function in Living Systems: SC-M-3.1.1 Regulation and Behavior: SC-M-3.2.1, SC-M-3.2.2, SC-M-3.2.3 Diversity and Adaptations of Organisms: SC-M-3.4.1, SC-M-3.4.2 Populations and Ecosystems: SC-M-3.5.1, SC-M-3.5.2, SC-M-3.5.3, SC-M-3.5.4 Grade 8-12 Interdependence of Organisms: SC-H-3.5.3 Behavior of an Organism: SC-H-3.2.1,SC-H-3.2.2, SC-H-3.2.3

Social Studies Standards Ohio Social Studies Grade 6 Geography Academic Content Benchmark A-1, Benchmark B-4, Standards Benchmark C-5,6,7,

Kentucky Core Content— Grades 5-7 Social Studies/Geography SS-M-4.1.1, SS-M-4.1.2 SS-M-4.2.1, SS-M-4.2.2 SS-M-4.4.1, SS-M-4.4.2, SS-M-4.4.3, SS-M-4.4.4 Grades 8-12 SS-H-4.1.1, SS-H-4.1.2 SS-H-4.4.1, SS-H-4.4.2, SS-H-4.4.4

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Background

Australasia is a region where the separated from Antarctica, the Southwest Pacific Ocean meets the development of the cold Antarctic Indian Ocean. It is made up of New Circumpolar Current changed weather Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea, patterns across the world. For Australia- and neighboring islands. For this lesson New Guinea, it brought a marked plan we will also include Southeast Asia, intensification of the drying trend. The the Indonesian archipelago as well as the great inland seas and lakes dried out. Philippine islands. Much of the long-established broad-leaf deciduous forest began to give way to The Indo-Australian Plate was joined the distinctive hard-leaved with Antarctica as part of the southern sclerophyllous plants that characterize supercontinent Gondwana until the plate the modern Australian landscape. For began to drift north about 96 million many species, the primary refuge was years ago. For most of the time since the relatively cool and well-watered then, Australia-New Guinea has Great Dividing Range. Even today, remained a single, continuous landmass. pockets of remnant vegetation remain in When the last ice age ended in about the cool uplands, some species not much 10,000 BC, rising sea levels formed Bass changed from the Gondwanan forms of Strait, separating Tasmania from the 60 or 90 million years ago. mainland. Then between about 8,000 and 6,500 BC, the lowlands in the north Eventually, the Australia-New Guinea were flooded by the sea, separating New tectonic plate collided with the Eurasian Guinea and Australia. As the continent plate to the north. The collision caused drifted north from Antarctica, the northern part of the continent to Australia’s unique flora and fauna buckle upwards, forming the high and developed. Marsupials and monotremes rugged mountains of New Guinea and, also existed on other continents, but only by reverse (downwards) buckling, the in Australia-New Guinea did they out- Torres Strait that now separates the two compete the placental mammals and main landmasses. The collision also come to dominate. Bird life also pushed up the islands of Indonesia, flourished, in particular the ancestors of which served as island 'stepping-stones' the great passerine order that would that allowed plants from Southeast eventually spread to all parts of the Asia's rainforests to colonize New globe and account for more than half of Guinea, and some plants from Australia- all living avian species. New Guinea to move into Southeast Asia. The ocean straits between the Because the continent was more isolated islands were narrow enough to allow than any other, very few outside species plant dispersal, but served as an effective arrived to colonize, and unique native barrier to exchange of land mammals forms developed unimpeded. For about between Australia-New Guinea and 40 million years Australia-New Guinea Asia. was almost completely isolated. During this time, the continent experienced Although most of Australia is semi-arid numerous changes in climate, but the or desert, it includes a diverse range of overall trend was towards greater aridity. habitats from alpine heaths to tropical When South America eventually rainforests. Because of the continent's

Title (X-X): Extensions Page 3 of 7 great age, extremely variable weather 5,249 ft in height. The coastal uplands patterns, and long-term geographic and a belt of grasslands lie between the isolation, much of Australia's biota is coast and the mountains while inland of unique and diverse. About 85% of the dividing range are large areas of flowering plants, 84% of mammals, grassland. The northern point of the east more than 45% of birds, and 89% of in- coast is the tropical rainforests of the shore, temperate-zone fish are endemic. . Australia has the greatest number of reptiles of any country, with 755 species. The northern part of the country is a tropical climate, consisting of woodland, Australian forests are mostly made up of grassland and desert. At the northwest evergreen species, particularly corner of the continent is the sandstone eucalyptus trees in the less arid regions, cliffs and gorges of The Kimberley and Wattles replace them in dryer regions below that the while south and and deserts as the most dominant inland of these lie more areas of species. Among well-known Australian grassland, the Ord Victoria and the fauna are the monotremes (the platypus Western Australian Mulga shrub lands. and echidna); a host of marsupials, The heart of the country is the uplands of including the kangaroo, koala, and central Australia while prominent wombat, and birds such as the emu and features of the centre and south include the kookaburra. The dingo was the inland deserts with the famous introduced by people who traded with on the southern coast. Indigenous Australians around 3000 BCE. Many plant and animal species The climate of Australia is significantly became extinct soon after first human influenced by ocean currents, including settlement, including the Australian the Indian Ocean Dipole and the El megafauna; others have disappeared Niño-Southern Oscillation, which is since European settlement. correlated with periodic drought, and the seasonal tropical low pressure system Australia is the flattest continent, with that produces cyclones in northern the oldest and least fertile soils; desert or Australia. These factors induce rainfall semi-arid land commonly known as the to vary markedly from year to year. outback makes up by far the largest Much of the northern part of the country portion of land. The driest inhabited has a tropical predominantly monsoon continent, only its south-east and south- climate. Just under three quarters of west corners have a temperate climate. Australia lies within a desert or semi- The population density is among the arid zone. The southwest corner has a lowest in the world, although a large Mediterranean climate. Much of the proportion of the population lives along southeast including Tasmania is the temperate south-eastern coastline. temperate.

Eastern Australia is marked by the Great Fauna Dividing Range that runs parallel to the coast of Queensland, New South Wales The Indonesian Archipelago is split by and much of Victoria – although the the Wallace Line. There is a deep name is not strictly accurate, as in parts channel that is over 800 feet deep. This the range consists of low hills and the channel separates Bali on the west and highlands are typically no more than Lombok on the east. During periods

Title (X-X): Extensions Page 4 of 7 when the sea level was lower, the great Islands, New Caledonia and New depth of this channel prevented a land Zealand. bridge from forming. All of the islands to the west of this gap became connected From a biological point of view, to the Asian mainland and allowed Asian Australasia is a distinct region with a wildlife to populate the islands. The common evolutionary history and a great islands to the east became connected to many unique plants and animals, some Australia and are dominated by of them common to the entire area, Australian wildlife. others specific to particular parts but sharing a common ancestry. The long The fauna of Southeast Asia north and isolation of Australasia from other west of the Wallace line is diverse. You continents allowed it to evolve relatively will find primates such as the Orangutan, independently, and makes it home to Gibbons, and Macaque. Asian Elephant, many unique families of plants and Malayan Tapir, the Sumatran animals. Rhinoceros and the Bornean Clouded Leopard can be also found. Six Australia and New Guinea are subspecies of the Binturong or bearcat distinguished by their marsupial also exist in this region. The mouse deer, mammals, including kangaroos, a small tusked deer as large as a toy dog possums, and wombats. The last or cat, can be found on Sumatra, Borneo remaining monotreme mammals, the and Palawan Islands. The gaur, a echidnas and the platypus, are endemic gigantic wild ox larger than even wild to Australasia. Prior to the arrival of Water buffalo, is found mainly in humans about 50,000 years ago, only Indochina. about one-third of Australasian mammal species were placental. Birds such as the peafowl and drongo live in this sub region as far east as Large reptiles, including crocodiles and Indonesia. The babirusa, a four-tusked huge monitor lizards, like the Komodo pig, can be found in Indonesia as well. dragon, are ecologically important The hornbill was prized for its beak and predators. There are 13 endemic bird used in trade with China. The horn of the families, including emus, cassowaries, rhinoceros, not part of its skull, was kiwi, kagu, cockatoos, birds of paradise, prized in China as well. and honeyeaters

While Southeast Asia is rich in flora and fauna, Southeast Asia is facing severe deforestation which causes habitat loss for various endangered species such as orangutan and the Sumatran tiger.

The Australasian ecozone is an ecological region that includes Australia, the island of New Guinea (including Papua New Guinea and the Indonesian province of Papua), and the eastern part of the Indonesian archipelago, the Bismarck Archipelago, the Solomon

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Activities What Continent is it on, or what ocean is it in? Activity #1 Have the students draw a map of the If it is in the Ocean, what is the nearest school, a local natural area or their Continent? If it is on a Continent, what backyard. It should include landmarks is the nearest Ocean? such as trees, any type of water such as a pond or creek. It should also include Activity #4 different habitats such as fields, woods, Part One ponds or wetlands. Have the students think about every place they went and everything they did Have them identify on the map where yesterday. Try to have them put these they may have seen any wildlife or signs things in order. of animals such as a nest or tracks. Have them draw a map of their Activity #2 neighborhood. Pick a county in the region that they just learned about. Have them mark all the places where they did these activities on there Have them choose an animal that is from personal home range maps. their country. It can not be one of the animals that was brought in for the Ask them the following questions: presentation. Where did they sleep? Where did they eat? Have them find out what type of habitat Where did their food come from? it lives in. Who got the food? Where is their school? How it survives in that habitat. Have them mark these locations on their What is its home range? Draw the home maps range on a map. Compare this to the day of a wild Activity #3 animal. Ask the students if they could dig a hole straight down through the center of the Part Two earth all they way to the other side, Have the student observe an animal such where would they wind up? as a bird or a squirrel in their back yard.

Have the students find the location of the Have them draw a map of places that the school on the globe. animal visited while it was being observed. Have them find the opposite location on the globe. Try to figure out where it found food, sought cover, where it may have a nest Mark these two locations on a flat map or a den.

How close is this to where they thought Compare this map to their personal they would be? home range maps from part one.

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Resources National Geographic Atlas of the World, 7th edition. National Geographic Society, 1999

Insight Guides, Southeast Asia Wildlife APA Publications Ltd, 1991

Macdonald, David W., Encyclopedia of Mammals Facts on File Inc., 1984

Arthur N. Strahler, Physical Geography, 2nd edition, John Wiley and Sons, 1960 www.australianwildlife.com.au www.nationalgeographic.com www.geography.howstuffworks.com/ oceana-and-australia/australia- and-new-zealand.htm

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